What Is the Difference Between A Blind Bolt and A Blind Rivet?

Take a look at a blind rivet and you’ll see two pieces. These pieces consist of the body of the rivet itself and the mandrel within that rivet. Once a hole has been drilled through the two pieces of material, the rivet can be inserted. Using a custom installation tool you can then fit the mandrel, and pulling on this creates a bulge which ‘sets’ the rivet and securely joins the two materials. The exposed mandrel then breaks off within the rivet itself. According to the specific nature of the task in hand, you can select from a range of blind rivets utilising different head shapes and metal composites, each of which will be suited to differing requirements in terms of strength and resistance to corrosion.

Metals such as aluminium, steel and stainless steel offer a huge range of options. This is boosted by the fact that blind rivets are easy to install, can resist corrosion and don’t mark the surfaces to which they are being applied. For example, a blind rivet with a backup washer is ideal for softer materials, while an open-ended or close-ended rivet might offer protection against liquid intrusion. The security offered by blind rivets of this kind makes them the ideal choice for a wide range of industrial applications. To ensure effectiveness, however, we offer advice on issues such as the grip range – this is a measurement which varies from case to case, and getting it wrong will impact on the integrity of the joint created.

Blind bolts can be utilized in many ways within construction industries, particularly for those tasks which would otherwise be problematic, such as fixing onto the cavity of a girder or a boxed section. The different tensile and shear strengths offered by the range of blind bolts makes them ideal for use with a wide range of material thicknesses. All of which means that as well as being secure blind bolts are hugely versatile.

If you’re searching for efficient and neat applications across a wide range of industries then blind bolts are the answer. Simply analyse the job in hand, and make sure that you choose the right blind bolts and rivets to ensure a finished job which combines strength with quality.